The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-09
PRESIDENTS AND HORSES.
HOW THE CHIEF MAGISTRATES
HAVE REGARDED HORSES.

Washlngton'S White Chargers-Jeffer-
sons Inauguration Andrew Jack
sons Race Horses-The Turnouts of
Other Presidents-Lincoln's Horses,
Likewise Grants.
From the Magazine of american History.
Gen. Grant has gone into history as the
man on horseback. Washingtons portraits
are largely equestrian, and associated with
every period of Jackson's career are the
horses he loved so we'll
Old citizens of Alexandria say that Wash
ington rode the finest horses in virginia.
and that as boy he broke to the saddle the
colts of his neighborhood. 1t is said that he
once rode ten different horses into Alexan-
dria in single week, and during his latter
years his stables at Mount Vernon were
among the best in the country. He visited
his horses upon rising in the morning, and
always saw that they had their break
fast before he took his own. He
kept thoroughbred horses, and his estab-
lishment at Mount Vernon was much like
that of a great English lord. He had his
pack of hounds, and before the Revolution
he was very fond of fox hunting. He fol-
lowed the hounds everywhere, and was al
ways in at the death. He had regular hunt
ing costume, and his favorite hunterSvas a
fiery, long hmbed horse which he called
'tBlueskin," probably FROM its color,
fine, dark iron gray His hunting
costume was a blue coat, scarlet waist
coat. buckskin brooches, and top boots He
wore velvet cap, and carried whip
with long thong. He ridiculed the idea
that he could be thrown, aud he was won't
to say that he required only one good quail
w in horse, namely, sit must go along"
It was his custom at Mount Vernon, prior
to the Revolution, to hunt three times
week, and the game chased was made up of
gray foxes and stays. His last hunt was in
1855, when he killed a stag weighing 146
pounds.
George Washington was very kin d to his
herses and displayed a great deal of senti-
Inent in connection with his treatment of
some of them. The horse he rode when he
received the sword of CORVALLIS. on Oct
10, 1871, was fine chestnut charger, with
white face and legs. Washington took him
to Mount Vernon after the war, but never
allowed him to do a stroke of work
At Philadelphia, while Washington was
President, the executive stables were in
charge of a man called German John, and
at another time of Bishop, the old body ser
want of Gen. Braddock. These chief hostlers
had number of negro boys under them,
and George Washington Parke Gusts says
that Washington's horses were of the kind
known as 'mlislin horses This name
came from the testing Of the cleanliness of
the horses with a fine harrdker-
chief This was brushed over
their coats after they were
dressed, and if the slightest spot of dirt came
off upon the handkerchief, they were not
considered well curried. and the stable bows
were tied up and whipped for their negli-
gence. The President drove a team of
white. chargers, " and the grooming of
these" says Custis, will rather surprise the
moderns. The night before the horses were
expected to be ridden they were entirely
covered over with paste Of which whiting
was the principal component part Then
the animals We're swathed in body clothes,
and left to sleep upon clean straw. In the
morning the composition had become hard
II was well rubbed in, and the horses We're
curried and brushed. Tkis process gave to
their coats a beautiful, glossy, and satin
like appearance. The hoofs were now
BACKED and polished, the mouths washed
the teeth picked and cleaned, and the
leopard-skin housings being properly adj
justed, the white chargers were led out for
service. Such was the grooming of ancient
timesn
President Washington's coach, which he
used with these horses, was the finest car
riage in Philadelphia, and its panels We're
painted by one of the great painters of that
day. One of these panels is preserved in
the collection of relics in the National MI
scum at Washington. It is a copper medal
lion as big as a dinner plate, and the inscrip-
ton connected with it says that the coach
was of a cream color, and it had four of
these medallions upon it, each of which CON
tanned a painting by Capriana, a famous
painter of the times. The body of the We
hicle was in the shape of hemisphere, and
It's cream color was Ornanaented with Cupids
supporting festoons and with garands of
H0wnrS around ti1A rOannlC Id tO ba
white horses and their splendid trappings
this gorgeous coach and equally gorgeous
footman and coachman, and you may have
some idea of the turnout OF our first Presi-
dent. In addition to this, there was chariot
kept especially for Mrs. Washington, which
was a four-horse affair, with black postil-
lions in livery.
Washington's stables at Philadelphia con-
tanned ten coach and saddle horses in addi-
ton TO the two white chargers. He had q
eeachman and two grooms and the servants
who accompanied him in his rides were
white. They wore liveries of white cloth
trimmed with scarlet or orange The
white chargers were the horses OF state and
one of these was the Presidents favorite
saddle horse. He was fine parade horse,
as white as snow and sixteen hands high.
His name was Prescott, and the President
thought great deal of him, though he had
an annoying habit of dancing about on APP
pfOdCil VI a carriage. III was Ulo CUSTOM
then for ladies in driving to order their
coachman to stop, and let down the glasses
of their coach whenever the President APP
preached on horseback in order that he
might pay his compliments Upon such oc-
casions Prescott would always dance, and /
doubt not Washington became at times not
little exasperated at him. The other
charger was also purely white, with
flowing name aud tail. Hewas an Arabian
steed, very high spirited, and so fiery that
no one but Washington could ride him with
comfort.
Thomas jefferson kept the finest of horses
in his stables, and he paid very high prices
for some of them. At the time Of his in
auguration he rode to the capitol on his
favorite saddle horse, "Wid Air. and the
generations of patriots since then have de
lighted in recounting the Jcffersonian sim
plicity with which he jumped from his
horse himself, and, tying him to the fence
with his own hands, walked into the CAPT
tol. The truth, however, is that this act
was forced upon him. He had hoped to
drive to his Inauguration in a fine turnout,
and his son-in-law, Jack Eppes, had been
sent off to buy four coach horses ut a price
of 81, 600, but did not return to Washington
In time, thus the President rode ON horse
back
While (efFareou was President he took